Egypt will not accept the presence of Israeli forces on its border with the Gaza Strip, the "Al-Qahera News" TV reported.
According to the information, Cairo has confirmed to all interested parties that the remaining of Israeli units in the Palestinian part of the border crossing “Rafah” between Egypt and Gaza and in the narrow stretch along the southern Egyptian-Palestinian border called the Philadelphia Corridor is unacceptable. Cairo mediates the resolution of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian movement “Hamas” in accordance with its national security, the TV channel also reported.
Remaining a limited number of Israeli soldiers in Gaza, rejected by both Hamas and Egypt, is one of the contentious issues in the ceasefire talks.
According to Cairo, the Israeli presence in “Rafah” and the Philadelphia Corridor violates the treaties between the two countries and is a challenge to its national security.
Israel's arguments are that underground tunnels under the border between Egypt and Gaza serve to smuggle weapons and dual-use items for “Hamas”. Egypt categorically denies and insists that it destroyed the tunnels nearly ten years ago.
The Philadelphia Corridor, which is about 14 kilometers long and 100 meters wide, is a buffer zone guaranteed by the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty of 1979. The strip was guarded by the Egyptian army after Israel withdrew its military presence in Gaza in 2005 .